Singapore Puts $5.3M Behind Food Waste Upcycling Projects

Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) has awarded three research projects a combined $5.3 million to convert food and brewery waste into commercial products, as reported by the Straits Times. The awards fall under NEA’s Closing the Resource Loop (CTRL) Funding Initiative, following a request for proposals on food waste valoristion published in November 2024 and closed in February 2025, according to NEA’s own program listing.

Food waste made up about 11% of Singapore’s total waste output in 2025. The country disposed of 649,000 tonnes of food waste that year, up from 646,000 tonnes in 2024.

Barley waste becomes plant-based tuna

One of the three recipients, food technology company Mottainai Food Tech, is using fermentation to convert barley spent grains, a high-fibre byproduct of brewing beer and malt drinks, into plant-based tuna flakes. Singapore produces around 55 tonnes of the material daily. Mottainai sources it from breweries and other manufacturers, including Nestle, and is developing the product with Nanyang Technological University’s Asian Centre for Health Behavioural Insights & Interventions and Singapore Polytechnic’s Food Innovation and Resource Centre.

The company’s long-term plan includes tuna-based products such as pastries, though no commercialisation date has been set. Mottainai previously developed Jiro Meat, a minced meat alternative made from fermented okara, a soy pulp byproduct of tofu and soymilk production.

Singapore Puts $5.3M Behind Food Waste Upcycling Projects — © Mottainai Food Tech

Two parallel projects target other waste streams

The second award, “Innovative Form-Stable Phase Change Materials Using Treated Spent Coffee Grounds for Sustainable Cold Chain Applications,” is led by Dr Zhu Qiang at A*STAR’s Institute of Materials Research and Engineering. The project converts used coffee grounds into phase change materials for temperature-controlled logistics, targeting performance comparable to petroleum-derived paraffin wax.

The third, “Ferm2Farm: Fertilisers, Feeds, and Extracts from Food By-products,” is led by Dr Christian Hermansen at A*STAR’s Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation. It converts vegetable peel into food flavourings, animal feed, and crop fertiliser through a two-step extraction and fermentation process.

Hermansen framed the funding within a broader bioeconomy opportunity for Singapore, telling the Straits Times: “The bioeconomy is projected to contribute up to US$4 trillion annually within the next decade. Singapore is well-placed to take part, with strength in research, advanced manufacturing, and access to regional markets.”

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Barley waste becomes plant-based tuna

Two parallel projects target other waste streams

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